Envelope opener



April 17, 1928. 1,666,533

C. P. HECK ET AL ENVELOPE OPENER Filed May 12, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Iawe/wt LZarence I? He ck a 0 1?, Julie)".

Patented Apr. 17, 1928.

UNITED STAT as PATENT OFFICE.U'\

mvmpe OPENER.

Application filed Kay 12,

This invention relatesto devices for opening envelopes by cutting theends of the envelo es to permit access, to the contents thereo and it isan object of this invention 6 to provide novel means wherebythe envelopewill be guided or held inoperative relation to knives which are, whenmanipulated, capable of removing the. endsof the envelopes for thepurpose stated.

provide an envelope cutter or opener having novel means by which thecutting knives may be adjusted and held at difl 'erentfposltions ofadjustment. v v

It is furthermore an ob'ect of the invention to produce a de'vice o thecharacterindicated which" will be efiicient and satisfactory in use andcomparatively; inexpensive to manufacture.

With the foregoing and other objectsin View, the invention consists, inthe details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination ofparts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed. v I

In describing the inventionin detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this app ication, wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and 'inwhich- Figure l illustratesa section of an envel the invention; r r

Figure 2 illustrates a view in side elevation thereof; I

Figure 3 illustrates a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Figure 4. illustrates a sectional view of the device on the line 4-4 ofFig. 2.

Figure 5 illustrates a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view on a reduced scale of the drumand knife.

In these drawings, 10 denotes a box or 48 casing having a drum or body11 partially rotatable therein and preferably near one end thereof.While the element 11 will hereafter be referred to as a drum, the termis intended to include any element which 60 will suffice as a supportfor the instrumentalities associated with it, as will presently appear,and therefore, the inventors do not wish to be limited with respect tothe character of the said element. The drum is mounted on a shaft 12which is journaled in the side of the casing and the shaft is plan viewpartly in It is a further object of this inventionto v limit the degree0 pe opener embodying 1927. Serial No. 190,931,. I

partially rotated in opposite directions by power'applied to alever orhandle 13 secured to the shaft externally. of the casing. The lever ismoved in one direction by manual power that may be applied to a handgrasp 14 associated with the lever,.and the said lever is moved in theopposite direction, in the present embodiment of the invention, by aspring 15 connected to the leverat the end opposite that having the handgrasp, it being shown that the spring is anchored as at 16 externally ofthe casing. Studs or abutments 17 and 18 are located in the path ofmovement of the lever'and these serve to f rotation ofthe shaft and thedrum. a v I The drum is preferably provided with a diagonal slot 19constituting "a seat for a blade '20 whose operating edgeprojectsbeyond' the periphery of the drum. Set screws 21 may be threadedin the drum at anlgles to the blade for holding the blade at di erentpositions of adjustment, and adjusting screws 22 may be threaded in thedrum, as shown in the drawing, witho the ends of the screws'bearinagainst the inner edge of the blade. It wi 1 be apparent that when theadjusting screws ,are turned, the ends which abut the blade will changetheir positions to hold the: blade with its operat- 1ng edge projectingto a greater or less extent, according to said adjustmentg Apertures areforme d in the" drum constituting clearances for the insertion of thescrews heretofore described, but it is believed unnecessaryspecifically, to refer by reference character to these clearanceapertures.

The casing may have an appropriate cover 23 whose inner end terminatesin spaced relation to the drum, and a coacti blade 24.- is situatedbetween the inner en of the cover and the drum, although there is aspace between the edge of the last mentioned blade and the periphery ofthe drum equalling the distance which the blade 20 projects from thedrum. .,In other words, it is the intention of the inventors that theblade 20 and the blade 24 shall coact to out the ends of envelopesvpresented to the blades and the cuttings will be carried by themovement of the blade 20 downwardly into. the receptacle. It is shown inthe drawing that the blade 24 is formed as a part of the depending earsor flanges 25, and the said elements 25 are oscillatably mounted on jthe vblades.

ing the end pressure has pivots 26 which extend into the side of thecasing. v

The lower ends of the elements 25 are under the pull of springs suchas27 wvhose ends are connected to the-elements 25 and to an anchorage 28.The springs-Will serve to hold the blades in contact Witheach other asthe device is operated, although the relaition of parts is such thatthey are never out of engagement, that is tosay, the degree of rotationof the drum .is such that one ,partof the blade is always in engagementwith the blade 24.

' When .theparts are set for action or operation, there is ,a clearancebetween theblades which Will permit the-application of an envelope tothe device, and in doing this, the envelopeis placed on the easing untilthe end is in engagement nally mounted in the drum and projecting fromthe per phery thereof, @means for hold- .ing .theblade at difl'erentpositions of adjustment, .a blade oscillatably mounted in the casing andhaving its edge engaging the edge of the first mentioned blade,

for holding the second mentioned blade in engagement with the firstmentioned blade.

'2."In,an envelope openenia casing, a drum the cover and on the iblade24 and it may be pushed laterally of supporting the blade,

away from the cover, "partial rotation in proximity to the blade,

drum and the drum, and means and means rotatably mounted therein, thesaid drum having a diagonal slot, a blade in the slot having itscuttingedge projecting from the periphery of the said; drum, bladeengaging instrumentalities threaded in the drum and bearing against theside of the blade for holding it in different positions of adjustment,and blade adjusting instrumentalities threaded in the drum and bearingagainst the inner edge of the blade, a coactmg blade mounted 1noperative relation to the first -mentioned blade, and means for holdingthe blades in operative engagement to each other. 3' Inan-envelopeopener, a casing having a cover extending over a portion of its area, ablade extending transversely otthe casing and havingdepending portionsoscillatably supporting the blade, means connected to the dependingportions for moving the blade away from the cover, a drum mounted forpartial rotation in proximity to the blade, a diagonally disposed bladecarried by the drum and adapted 'to engage the edge ofthefirstwmentione'd blade, and means for partially rotating the druminopposite directions.

4:. In an envelope opener, a casing having a cover extending over aportion of its area, a blade extending transversely of the casing andhaving depending portions oscillatably means connected to the dependingportions for moving the blade 'a diagonally disposed blade carried .bythe adapted to engage the edge of the first mentioned blade, means foroperating for adjusting the blade carried by the drum.

CLARENCE P. anon. JOHN B. earns.

adrum mounted for 1

